S/S 1993 Gianni Versace Black White Floral Flared Bell-Bottom Catsuit
About the Item
- Designer:
- Brand:
- Place of Origin:
- Period:
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use. Light wear throughout, including minor spots of fading - not noticeable when worn. Size tag removed.
- Seller Location:West Hollywood, CA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU2388218581282
Gianni Versace
The signature extravagance of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace — forever aligned with glamour, sex, celebrity and spectacle — can overshadow the Italian couturier’s broad and deep engagement with history and culture. Today, his vintage dresses and gowns, handbags, sunglasses and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.
More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration, and his subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos. “I don’t believe in good taste,” he once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life.
Gianni Versace was born in Calabria, Italy. His mother was a successful dressmaker who employed more than 40 seamstresses. As a child, little Gianni marveled at her workshop, which would become a university of sorts, where he learned the exceptional construction techniques that were at the foundation of his creative expression.
In 1972, at age 25, he moved to Milan to work in fashion. He launched his first collection — and his label — in 1978, with his older brother Santo managing the business concerns. Soon, sister Donatella, whom Gianni dressed and took to discos when she was still a child, joined the family venture, where she had a creative role and managed enormously popular ready-to-wear lines such as Versus.
Vintage Versace — and Gianni Versace Couture, which debuted in 1989 — has become catnip for modern fashion enthusiasts who seek out the now-iconic house codes that originated in the designs of the 1980s and 1990s. His glamorous and seductive apparel — the clingy skirts and slender, strappy party dresses, as well as the erotic magazine ads that publicized them — looms large, but Versace’s art and historical influences were also vast.
Versace was an art collector, and he took on commissions to create costumes for theatrical performances during the 1980s and spoke of looking to numerous cultures for inspiration. The New York Times noted in 1997 that the fashion industry “is now driven by contemporary culture because Mr. Versace made it that way.”
Insiders consider his 1991/1992 Autumn/Winter runway show — which featured supermodels Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista lip-synching George Michael’s “Freedom” — as the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.
Versace's adventurous spirit of design resulted in his creating jewel-toned prints rooted in Grecian motifs, Etruscan symbols, the Italian Baroque and Andy Warholʼs Marilyn Monroe. There were slinky dresses in Oroton, his patented chain-mail textile that draped like satin, and leather bondage ensembles. Sex sold, for both women and men. Wrote the late curator Richard Martin, “[Versace] became the standard-bearer of gay men’s fashion because he eschewed decorum and designed for desire.”
Following Versace’s tragic murder in 1997, Donatella took over the role of artistic director and continued to evolve the house codes with a twist of her feminine and feminist perspective. Today, Santo Versace is chief executive officer of Versace and Donatella is its chief creative officer.
Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Gianni Versace evening dresses, handbags, day dresses and more on 1stDibs.
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: West Hollywood, CA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 1 day of delivery.
- F/W 1998 Dolce & Gabbana Navy Gold Brocade Two Piece Dress Skirt Corset SetBy Dolce & GabbanaLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a two-piece matching silk Dolce and Gabbana silk skirt/blouse set. This set was created for the 1998 S/S collection with similar piec...Category
1990s Italian Twin Sets
- F/W 1995 Gianni Versace Runway Grey Satin Velvet Dress Rhinestone Jacket SetBy Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a lustrous satin and velvet Gianni Versace Couture jacket and dress set, designed by Gianni Versace. From the Fall/Winter 1995 collection, the dress from this set debuted ...Category
1990s Italian Evening Dresses
- F/W 2003 Versace by Donatella Black Halter Top Fringe Chain Skirt SetBy Versace, Donatella VersaceLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a two-piece skirt set designed by Donatella Versace. This set features chain details on both the top and skirt that create a fringe effect. The top is made of a stretchy m...Category
Early 2000s Italian Suits, Outfits and Ensembles
- F/W 2001 Gucci by Tom Ford Runway Black Silk Triangle Cutout Black Skirt SetBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a chic black silk two-piece skirt set designed by Tom Ford for Gucci's Fall/Winter 2001 collection. This piece debuted on the runway as look number 31 in white on Omahyra Mota and in the ad campaign on Erin Wasson, shot by Terry Richardson...Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirt Suits
- S/S 1996 Gianni Versace Couture Black Wool Medusa Button Dress Jacket SetBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting a black Medusa button dress and jacket set designed by Gianni Versace for his Spring/Summer 1996 collection. The jacket debuted on look number 3 on Kate Moss. From one of ...Category
1990s Italian Dress and Coat Ensembles
- S/S 2001 Gucci by Tom Ford Red Plunging Satin Wrap Top Slit Skirt SetBy Gucci, Tom Ford for GucciLocated in West Hollywood, CAPresenting an absolutely stunning red satin Gucci skirt set, designed by Tom Ford. From the Spring/Summer 2001 collection, this two-piece set is made u...Category
Early 2000s Italian Skirt Suits
- Rare Issey Miyake/Bergdorf Goodman Jet Black Accented with Velvet Ensemble SetBy Issey MiyakeLocated in New York, NYThis wonderfully rare Issey Miyake/Bergdorf Goodman jet-black accented with floral velvet dress is matched with an optional open-faced ruffled open jacket. The scoop neckline dres...Category
1990s Japanese Skirt Suits
- Pauline Trigere Black Guipure Lace over Gold Lame 1980s 2pc Skirt SetBy Pauline TrigèreLocated in West Palm Beach, FLPauline Trigere black Guipure lace over gold lame', 2pc skirt set from the 1980s. The top has a jewel neckline and is seamed at the waist, flaring at the hem. The sleeves have padded...Category
1980s American Cocktail Dresses
- Vintage 2 Pc Yves Saint Laurent Black Sequin Evening Dress Alternative EnsembleBy Yves Saint LaurentLocated in Portland, ORThis is a really versatile 1980's Yves Saint Laurent vintage knit skirt suit with shimmering black sequins. This evening dress alternative set inclu...Category
1980s European Evening Dresses
- Deadstock 1960s Alvin Handmacher Light Blue Rhinestone Vintage 60s Skirt SuitLocated in San Diego, CAChic deadstock ( brand new with tags ) original 1960s Alvin Handmacher ( Weathervane Tailored by Handmacher ) baby blue skirt suit ! Features a tailore...Category
1960s American Skirt Suits
- Bob Mackie 1970s Stripes Size 4 Silk + Lace Vintage 70s Crop Top and Skirt DressBy Bob MackieLocated in San Diego, CAPretty vintage BOB MACKIE (late 70s) stripes silk and lace crop top and skirt ensemble! Features pleated silk with stripes printed in purple, pink and ivory. White lace cut-out at wa...Category
1970s American Skirt Suits
- Gianni Versace Silk Skirt and Top Set with HardwareBy Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace CoutureLocated in Water Mill, NYA fine silk jersey one shoulder top and matching skirt from Gianni Versace Couture in pink scrolls and lines print on a black background. The top is fitted and has a gold metal signature Versace Greek key hardware...Category
1990s Italian Day Dresses